


The Beginning of the End

by greenlightdreams



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Marauders, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Marauders Friendship (Harry Potter), Slow Burn, The Marauder's Map
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:35:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27724907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greenlightdreams/pseuds/greenlightdreams
Summary: "They say every ending is a new beginning. If you could see the way it all ends, would you ever begin?"The Marauders marked an end of an era. But how did it all begin? The untold story is revealed to the boy who lived by a perfect stranger.Nadia was born in 1960, just like the Marauders. She attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, just like the Marauders. But unlike the Marauders, she lived to tell the story of the ghosts from the past and their broken promises. And there was an abundance of those in her life. Especially promises unkept made by a ghost with raven hair and dark grey eyes.All rights reserved. The credit for the world of Harry Potter and the characters belong to J.K.Rowling.Updates every other week!
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Remus Lupin/Original Male Character(s), Sirius Black/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7
Collections: Harry Potter Favs, Harry Potter Fic, Marauders, Marauders Era





	1. The Beginnings and the Ends [Intro]

They say every ending is a new beginning. If you could see the way it all ends, would you even begin? 

In the beginning, we are all strangers. The fascinating thing about strangers is the endless possibilities they might bring into our lives. Eventually, they become our friends, enemies or nothing at all. Out of the myriad of people, we encounter during our lifetime only a handful truly affect us. People come and they go. We end some paths before they even begin. Some others we wish to rewind back to the beginning even when they’re ending.

But the most interesting thing about strangers is not the brief, mysterious encounter we share but what comes before or after; tales from our forgotten history or prophecies of time far away. When you meet someone you might be utterly oblivious to the fact that it was them who introduced your father-in-law to the fascinating world of rubber ducks that later turned into a long-lived obsession of plastic, muggle objects. When you share a carriage with a borderline nerve-racking, know-it-all personality on your first day of school, you might not hear the distant echo of wedding bells just yet. And when you step into the little pub on a busy street filled with muggles for a drink after a long day at the Ministry, you surely do not expect anything out of ordinary to happen.

To see how the beginning ended we have to go back to the beginning of the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, there! Your kudos and comments would be an enormous support. So if you can, please let me know what you think :)


	2. The Beginning of the End [Prologue]

September 1st 2017

There are people who hate noise and prefer silence above anything else. Then there are people who seek noise to surround themselves in. You see, that noise can be a soothing distraction from the never-ending voices of the ghosts from the past. Nadia Rosier might have been a former member of the first-mentioned group but she had resigned years ago. Nowadays she was a loyal supporter of the latter.

Alas, it was not an unusual sighting to spot our perfect stranger alone in a poorly lit pub which probably had had its glory days back when a certain long, white-haired former headmaster was in his prime teenage years. Despite a bit of a rough surface, the place was surprisingly comfortable. A light, buzzing chatter and warm-coloured interiors framed a perfect picture of a safe haven where time was frozen.

The heavy, wooden door opened bringing a momentary cold breeze and shattered the isolated atmosphere for a moment. The disturber of peace was a dark-haired man who seemed like he had waited a very long time to step indoors. Some more polite individuals would describe this man as a positively smart-looking, and overall well-rounded lad may be in a need of a brush after emerging from the windy outdoors. Anyone else with a better knowledge would know that no brush or comb, normal or magical, would do much good when it comes to the infamous Potter hair. The hair did it's best but failed to hide the edge of that oh-so-awful scar on the man's forehead.

The boy who lived, now an increasingly uneventful life may I add, eyed the place for a seat. His choice was made for him as the only even remotely vacant area was the odd number of stools at the bar counter. The only person sitting there was this strange woman who looked too clearly out of place for it to be even slightly convincing. Exhausted from the day that somehow felt abnormally long, Harry Potter chose to ignore the questions that were starting to form in his head. Besides, his head had picked up this frustrating habit of doubting everyone, everything, and then some. But that tends to happen when one spends too long trying to spot the enemy amongst friends and vice versa.

The woman gave her best effort to not stare at our chosen one. It was only partly to not seem suspicious. Partly it was still too hard to bring up the deeply buried pain the resemblance caused. Oh, Merlin, it was still shocking after all these years. She had to bite her lip not to blurt out the wrong name out of reflex. The doppelgänger of her long-gone friend sat down only two chairs away. He eyed the woman warily before giving his order to the absent-minded bartender. _A whiskey, on the rocks. Double._

Harry was very well aware of the woman's interest in his every move. He observed as she carefully tried to hide her now almost rude nosiness. Harry Potter was not a first-timer when it came to strangers a bit too invested in his life, believe you me. Something about his newest admirer was different, though. She was way too well dressed to have randomly stumbled upon this place that was fairly racked and under the radar. Her fine, cream wool coat and leather gloves on the table next to her glass were not typical to the pub's usual clientele. She carried herself with a tint of pride that offered no explanation to why she would sit drinking all alone on a normal Tuesday afternoon. Something about her told that this was clearly not a normal Tuesday afternoon, not for her. And of course, nothing explained the slight smirk on her face when Harry had mumbled his order to the bartender. The smile passed away so quickly that for a moment Harry thought it was merely a product of his imagination. He devoted his attention back to the drink the bartender had just handed over.

"You're father used to order the same", the woman said. Harry raised his head a bit too fast. Surely he had just misheard?

"Of course his version had a little bit more _fire_ in it" she continued now finally facing the man he was addressing.

Harry studied her face carefully for a sign of familiarity, a bold lie or more likely insanity. Nothing ringed a bell.

"Pardon, have we met ma'am?", was all he managed to get out of his mouth.

The smirk returned to the woman's face. "I've had the pleasure of meeting a Potter but never with green eyes. That was a speciality of Evans".

A familiar knot returned to Harry's stomach for the first time in many years. After all, he had been through, Harry prided his survival a relatively great accomplishment. But he knew all too well that nothing soothed the pain of losing someone. So a mere mention of his parents seemed to shrink him right back into that boy who once lived under the cupboard.

"You knew my parents". That wasn't a question. Harry was familiar with strangers pointing out whatever brief encounter they had shared with his parents. It was rather tiresome to hear people who barely knew his mother and father tell Harry again and again about how James Potter had been on the quidditch team, just like Harry! Or how Lily excelled in Potions, _well,_ unlike Harry!

Harry stared at the woman while working on an excuse to leave. She returned the look. He noticed she had very dark brown eyes. Almost black, until the light hit them just right sparking them like a kaleidoscope. Her rich brown hair was tied to a tidy knot but a couple of strands of hair had managed to loosen to frame her face. She must've been beautiful when she was young. Now there was a bit of a haunted look in her eyes accompanied by lines on her forehead when she smiled.

"Yes, you could say I knew them", she finally replied.

Harry sighed, he was not about to make his day any longer out of politeness. "Excuse me", he nodded while getting back on his feet to head to the door.

When he was about to turn his back to the woman, a glimpse of shiny silver caught his eye. The lady, yet to introduce herself, casually went through her purse to retrieve a small compact mirror as if it was a crucial moment to powder her nose. This made Harry stop in his tracks. _The mirror_.

"Leaving already?" she raised a brow while opening the mirror.

Harry locked eyes with her through that little, cursed thing. "Where did you get that", he almost hissed, getting more annoyed minute by minute.

"Oh, this silly thing? It was a gift from an old friend", the woman returned with a combination of amusement and sneer in her voice.

That tone of voice. That mirror. Harry would've recognised it anywhere. Yet when she looked at the woman in front of him, there was no familiarity.

"My name is Nadia Rosier and it's a pleasure to finally meet you, Harry Potter." she offered a hand. The emerald ring on her index finger sparkled despite the lack of light in the pub.

"My parents had small circles. Yet I don't recall hearing that name before. A bit odd no one remembers you, isn't it?", Harry Potter was in no mood for falling into a trap.

"Yes, no one remembers me. I made sure of it." she, Nadia, replied with a weird emotion in her voice that Harry couldn't quite decipher. "I, on the other hand, remember everything. And I think it's about time you and I became acquainted".


	3. Platform 7 5/8

September 1st 1971, King’s Cross

NADIA

Nadia Rosier had a hard time that day. A hard time navigating through the crowded train station all alone. A hard time trying to ignore all the chatter and noise the busy day created. But the hardest of them all was trying to pretend everything was perfectly normal. Except, nothing had been normal for a very long time. She was not even completely sure if she knew what normal was supposed to feel like.

Resilient to continue, to finally find a place quiet enough for her to sort her thoughts, she kept going with a mask of serenity. Now that was something easy enough to do. After all, Nadia had had a lot of practice in that area. The young witch had mastered the art of apathy at a very young age. 

She tried to find her way past platform 7 at the King’s Cross Station; only a few more to go. Suddenly something pushed her and made her lose her balance. Nadia had to bite her lip not to curse from the pain as she lifted the heavy trunk she had dropped on her foot. Persefone, her long-eared owl, expressed her discontent with a low hoot. The poor owl was at the edge of panic as her cage had slipped to the ground rolling on its side. Nadia turned 180 degrees to find out what or  _ who _ was stupid enough to disturb her. Did people have no manners nowadays, thought the 11-year-old. She found herself facing two, identical young men. For a moment she thought the feared had happened and she had finally lost her mind. 

Then one of the boys moved to pick the owl cage from the ground. “Bloody hell, my bad, little one.” he grinned as he handed the cage back to Nadia. “What do we have here? A teeny tiny first-grader, eh Gid?”, the first boy said over his shoulder to his brother,  _ twin _ brother, Nadia realised. 

“Oh Fab, me lad, I think that is correct”, the second brother chimed in with an alarmingly big grin on his face. “Shall I be a gentleman and help this innocent child take her first steps into the marvellous school life?”

“Oi! We both know  _ I _ am the chivalrous one.” his twin protested. The boys started arguing in a joking manner. This granted Nadia some time to give a proper look at the pair. They were both fairly tall and had ridiculously coloured hair. It was a shade of red so bright it seemed to be handpicked just to help spot someone from a crowd. The twins were in the middle of lively conversation smirking and grinning more than many others did their whole lifetime.

Realising she was just a punchline in a running joke between the brothers, Nadia decided to make an exit, preferably unnoticed. Nadia gathered her things and was just about to head to her original destination, just a few platforms away when the bickering twins noticed her absence. 

“Oh, and where are you headed to, little one?” one of the boys raised his eyebrow. “A tad rude to decline the company of Fabian and Gideon Prewet, innit? Now I know Gideon here is a bit of a pain in the arse but  _ I _ am perfectly adorable”.

“Oi, shut your mouth, will ya!” the other twin, presumably Gideon exclaimed. “And you, young lady, what are you planning to do in that direction?”, he nodded towards the platforms with increasing numbers, including 9. 

Nadia had never considered herself an extremely lucky person. However, she felt like her luck had plummeted to new levels of low today. Only she would get herself into trouble within five minutes of her first school day. And with  _ Prewetts _ . 

Considering that avoiding confrontation had gotten her nowhere so far, Nadia decided to finally open her mouth. “Well, I am not aware if the two of you can count but to my knowledge platform 9 ¾ is in that direction”, she pointed. 

“Oh, look at that Fab, we’ve got a one with a sense of humour!”

“Marvelous! Oh, but we should warn her, right?”

Nadia thought to herself that the only thing she needed a warning of was the unnecessary encounter with the Prewett twins. But it was too late for that. She sighed and decided humouring the boys was the easiest way out of the situation.

“Indeed, Gid”, Fabian Prewett continued now with a serious face. “Haven’t you heard, little one? They changed the platform. Unlike other years, this year the Hogwarts Express leaves from the platform 7 ⅝.”

“Platform 7 ⅝”, Nadia repeated, irritation was raising in her veins threatening to make the girl lose her patience. 

“Oh, yes”, Gideon Prewett lowered his voice as if to reveal a big secret. “According to our sources, the platform 9 ¾ is out of use.You know, due to the beginning of the year party the headmaster hosted for the staff on the train last night. The place is absolutely trashed!”

Nadia was not stupid enough to believe this. However, she could see that a boy, a few feet left to them, stopped right in his tracks to eavesdrop on their conversation. She was a bit amused seeing his horrified expression as the boy kept looking back and forth between the train ticket in his hand and the twins. 

She turned back to the twins. They didn’t look so bad anymore. “So, if that is true, I better go warn the rest of them at the 9 ¾.”, she wondered aloud. 

Surprised by the turn of events, the boys raised their eyebrows. “Yes, yes you definitely should”, Fabian said while trying to look around to find the catch. Gideon was squinting his eyes at Nadia. 

“I better hurry! If the platform changed, maybe the time of departure changed, too”, after saying this she rushed away from the twins. As she passed the panicky, young boy, she noticed him scurry away in the opposite direction. Nadia might have felt bad if she wasn’t too busy putting distance between herself and the place she called home. 

~*~

REMUS

Remus had made himself a list for the day. He always made lists for days like this.  _ First days _ . The tricky part was that he had lost the piece of parchment before he even left the house. Now  _ he _ felt a bit lost without a clear structure for the day. 

Luckily he didn’t have time to feel anxious. Her mother handled that for him. Ever since the family had arrived at the platform 9 ¾, Hope Lupin had been either captivated by every little detail only a non-magical person would care to notice (“Oh Remus, isn’t it fascinating how one can just walk through a brick wall!”) or worried about her only child leaving home for the first time (“Is homeschooling really not on the table, Lyall?”). This kept both Remus and his father, Lyall, rather busy the whole morning. 

The parting was dreadful for both Remus and his parents, but for very different reasons. Lyall Lupin was not a man of emotion and preferred to stay that way. After patting his son awkwardly on the shoulder, he stepped back to let the boy’s mother say a proper goodbye. Hope thought this must be the hardest day of her life. How could she let her precious boy go all alone to a strange place no matter how amazing the boy’s father claimed it to be? For Remus, all this was horrifying for a whole nother reason. Despite loving his parents very much, no 11-year-old wants to be seen hugging his mother in public for too long. Remus Lupin was not an exclusion. After a few dreadful minutes, he freed himself from Hope’s embrace. “Bye Mum, bye Dad”, he managed to say suddenly feeling a lump in his throat. Remus promised himself not to look back as he stepped on the train. 

“Peter, is that you?” a boy stuck his head out of one of the compartments as soon as Remus entered the carriage. “Oh, sorry mate, thought you were someone else”, he continued after realising Remus was indeed not  _ Peter _ , whoever that was.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence as the boys just shyly stared at each other. Remus was suddenly very aware of his worn-out clothes standing next to this new boy who was dressed like there was a posh party to attend. The boy ran his hands through his dark hair. Remus was not sure if it made his hair look a bit tidier or made things even worse. Just as their shared moment was turning into a bit excruciating, someone else entered the carriage. This startled both of the boys and they turned their attention to the stranger. 

The newest addition to the carriage looked at the other boys with a bit of amusement in his eyes. He somehow seemed to be aware of the awkward atmosphere but that didn’t seem to bother him. He took his time to get his luggage sorted before turning to the boys with a sly smile, “Alright, lads?”

Remus nodded. The other boy came out of his compartment, “Yes, hello, we were just getting acquainted. I am James Potter. And this is...”, he turned to Remus and blushed suddenly realising mid-sentence that he had no idea who Remus was. 

“Remus Lupin”, Remus offered. 

“Pleased to meet you both. My name is Sirius. Sirius Black”

Remus noticed the boy’s natural confidence was taken down a notch by the mention of his own last name. The name caused a reaction in James that Remus didn’t fully comprehend. The boy's eyes widened but he didn’t say anything. 

“Both first-graders, too?” Sirius asked, now leaning to the wall his arms crossed. Was it possible to seem cool while looking bored?

Both Remus and James nodded. 

“So, shall we sit down, or do you lads tend to take all your train rides standing?” Sirius smirked. 

James seemed to be snapped out of a trance. “Oh, of course, you can join me and my friend Peter here”, he said as he opened the compartment door to them.

Remus and Sirius gathered their trunks and bags. Sirius had a beautiful, boreal owl in a golden cage. They followed James into his compartment. It was empty. It occurred to Remus, that James might have an imaginary friend named Peter. 

“So, mate”, Sirius looked around, “does your friend own an invisibility cloak, or what?”

James smiled mischievously. “No, Peter just stepped out before you two showed up. Said he left something at the platforms”, he explained. 

This was good enough for Remus and Sirius. They sat down opposite each other. James was still standing at the door, hesitant. “Make yourselves comfortable, I’ll go check on Peter”, he smiled politely before heading back out. 

“Ten galleons Potter just wanted to get away from us”, Sirius winked. 

Painfully aware of the fact that he did not have ten galleons, Remus just smiled at him. This didn’t seem to upset Sirius. They fell into a comfortable silence and for the first time that day, Remus had time to think. He had tried to run away from the voices in his head telling him going to a school with other wizards and witches was a bad idea. Now that he was sitting in silence, the voices seemed to have caught up with him. Maybe this was a mistake. It was hard to believe it was anything but a mistake. Although, a part of Remus had been excited to go. To finally feel normal like his peers. And his father really wanted him to go. He might not have said that to Remus, but he knew. So here he was. If there was even a slight chance to make his father proud of him after everything that had happened, Remus would make sure not to fail. 

Remus was deep in his thoughts when he suddenly realised Sirius was staring at him questioningly. 

“So, Remus Lupin, do you want to go have a look at the rest of the train with me? Or is your own head enough company for you?” Sirius asked, smiling.

Shrugging Remus got up and followed Sirius out of the compartment. He was happy to occupy his mind before it decided to circle back to a certain problem, looming only a few days away. 

~*~

NADIA

Things were finally ideal, Nadia thought. She had gotten rid of the Prewett twins. She had found herself an empty compartment. She was just about to start the first chapter of  _ M _ _ agical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger _ when the compartment door opened.

“Well well well, if it isn’t the notorious Miss Rosier”, the voice said. Nadia recognised that voice, how could she not. No other person had a voice so full of pure sarcasm and amused sneer. She had learned to avoid the voice and it’s obnoxious owner. She mentally slapped herself for letting her guard down. 

“Black”, she answered without raising her eyes from the book. She made the point of articulating the name clear and slow.

“What no proper greeting?” the boy teased. Apparently, he had invited himself to sit down opposite Nadia.

“Did you give a proper kiss goodbye to your mother dearest?” Nadia mimicked the boy’s innocent voice. She finally faced the boy who was already staring at her. His grin faded into a polite smile. The piercing grey eyes would have made Nadia uncomfortable if she was not so skilled at staying unimpressed. 

“I didn’t see your parents at the platform. Maybe I should go back to say hello to Mr and Mrs Rosier?”, Sirius raised his eyebrow. 

Nadia hadn’t seen Sirius Black for a long time. The Rosier family had drifted apart from the other pureblood families long ago. When they were younger, Sirius was a recurring nightmare at the gatherings of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. The boy would constantly get on her nerves. Somehow Sirius Black seemed to be the only person outside of her family who knew exactly how to get under Nadia’s skin. The years did not seem to have changed him either. Although, Nadia could not help but notice the obvious differences between the 6-year-old and the 11-year-old Black heir. It seemed like a cheeky joke of fortune that somehow even puberty was in Sirius Black’s favour. He was now, even sitting, a bit taller than Nadia. His face was more defined, downright touting the newly found jawline to the world. But inside was the same old Sirius who had spent all his time at the gatherings planning a practical joke of sorts to the disdain of the adults. And Nadia. 

Someone coughed at the door. Both Nadia and Sirius looked up. A boy was standing there looking lost. Judging by his posture he looked like he wished he could disappear into thin air. Nadia looked between the boy and Sirius for an explanation. The latter seemed to have just now remembered his friend. 

“Oh, Nadia, this is Remus Lupin. Remus, this is Nadia Rosier, a family friend”

Nadia almost huffed at the word  _ friend _ but kept her focus on the new boy. He seemed harmless enough in his noticeably old clothes and a bit orphan-like manner. Nadia would have guessed that the boy, Remus, was not a pureblood. That made her ease up a little and she forced herself to be kind, well kinder than usual anyway. 

“To what do I owe this pleasure, gentlemen?”, she had to remind herself not to roll her eyes.

“Remus and I decided to pay visits to our fellow students, that’s all”, Sirius explained. Remus did not comment on this. It didn’t seem to bother Sirius to do the talking, though. Actually, nothing ever seemed to bother Sirius Black.

“Well, I believe there are more students for you to cover and you’re on a limited time”, Nadia reminded, to get rid of her uninvited guests. To highlight her words the train let out a whistle and began to slowly move. It was 11 o’clock.

Remus looked relieved for an excuse to leave. Sirius got up rather resistantly but for once did not protest. Before stepping out, the Black boy turned back once more. “See you around, Rosier”, he said with his signature smirk.

Nadia Rosier was finally left alone. She looked out of the window. The sunny day seemed like a bad omen, though she might be the only one who thought so. The platform was still filled with families who were not ready to let their children out of their sight just yet. Nadia wondered what that might feel like. She watched the sea of weeping parents, overly excited siblings and last-minute embraces through the train window. She let herself relax only when the platform could no longer be seen. The city of London slowly changed into endless fields on the horizon. It was only then when she left out a breath she had no idea she was holding. It was like finally bursting out of a bubble that had been suffocating her. Nadia Rosier could now breathe freely for the first time in her life as she closed her eyes from the world of busy platforms and cold houses.


	4. Sorting of the Fittest

PETER

Peter was not satisfied with how his day was going so far. It was so typical that he was the one who forgot he had given his brand new wand to his mother for safe-keeping. Leave it to him to have no option but to run back to the platform and just hope his parents hadn’t Disapparated away yet. Who else would it be but Peter to fall into a trap of the Prewett twins and spend a good fifteen minutes trying to dive headfirst into a brick wall at the wrong platform? And now, it was just so typical that he was the one sitting in a boat, his socks wet. Because his side of the boat seemed to be slowly leaking even though no one else seemed to notice. None of this would ever happen to James Potter, the epitome of good luck and charm. No, James was sitting perfectly comfortable on the other side with the Black boy. They were already laughing at some private joke Peter knew he would never be a part of. When did they become so close anyway? 

Peter had returned to the compartment alongside James who was kind enough to go fetch him. Then he had noticed they were no longer alone. Two new boys were already sitting there waiting to report back about fellow students the boys had befriended. Although, Peter thought, judging by their stories it sounded like Sirius had made more enemies than friends. Especially, the encounter with someone described as “a little, scrawny bat with a greasy wig” did not sound particularly pleasant.

However, the train ride was somewhat tolerable. Of course, Peter had not expected to have to share his best friend but making some new ones couldn’t hurt. Besides, this gave him a better chance to be sorted into the same house as someone he already knew. Peter did not want to end up all alone and friendless. While sharing chocolate frogs, cauldron cakes and what-not the boys had discussed what houses they expected to be sorted in. James of course declared he _was_ a Gryffindor as if it was already decided the moment he was born. Peter was relieved to find out the rest of the boys were unsure, like him. Sirius wanted to avoid the topic altogether. It was a known fact that all Blacks ended up in Slytherin. He did not seem so happy about it. The other boy, Remus, seemed like he had not given this that much of a thought.. Peter himself had been panicking about the whole Sorting even before he received the Hogwarts letter. Both of his parents were proud Hufflepuffs. Peter didn’t think of himself as a very patient or hardworking person. On the other hand, he didn’t think he was brave, smart or cunning either. Could the professors send him back home if he wasn’t accepted to any house? He didn’t want to go back home all alone. Peter wondered if the headmaster would let him stay as his errand boy if he asked nicely.

These devastating thoughts almost caused him to miss his first glimpse of Hogwarts. Remus, who was sitting next to him, had to nudge him to snap him out of his thoughts. Peter was glad he did. The view was breath-taking. The majestic castle stood grand above them. The castle lights painted a yellow hue on the black lake. Everything felt eerie and a humming excitement filled the first-years.

“Firs'-years, this way! C’mon, now. Follow me. Don' yeh push each other!”, the Hogwarts groundskeeper shouted in a voice that made the 11-year-olds shake. Peter had almost cracked his neck to even see the man properly. 

They had arrived at the school grounds. Peter was grateful to have land under his feet again. They followed the groundskeeper, introduced as Rubeus Hagrid, to the entrance of the castle. It was dark and impossible to see properly. Peter made sure to not lose sight of the back of James’ head. At the enormous front doors was a figure waiting for the first-years. 

“Evenin', professor!”, Hagrid greeted the figure who turned out to be a tall and rather severe-looking woman in an emerald green robe. Her hair was up in a tight bun and she had a tense smile.

“Good evening, Hagrid. Thank you very much. I will take it from here.”, the woman gave the groundskeeper a nod.

Hagrid offered the professor a big smile and waved goodbye to the children before heading in. Suddenly the mood changed. The wave of alertness passed the crowd of first-years. Even those who were yawning a second ago were now standing more straight. The professor observed them carefully. Peter had this sudden need to confess all his wrong-doings to her. It was nerve-racking.

“Welcome to Hogwarts. I am professor McGonagall. You will know me as the Deputy Headmistress but also your Transfiguration teacher. The next step in your school life is a very important one, the Sorting. There are four houses at Hogwarts: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Your house will play the role of your family during your studies. Your achievements will bring your house points, and your house will be punished for your rule-breaking. End of the year, the House Cup goes to the house with the most points. Do not disappoint your house”. Professor McGonagall ended her speech with a stern look.

The silence fell amongst them like a rock. Nobody dared to breathe too loud, let alone talk. As if a cat had gotten their tongues.

“Now, follow me. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in the Great Hall.”

Everyone seemed to have gained back their ability to talk. A quiet whispering followed them as they entered the Great Hall. The ceiling, or the lack of one, was the first thing that caught Peter’s eye. His jaw dropped a little as he stared up at the starry night sky. The hall was lit by thousands of floating candles. There were four long tables which were occupied by older students now watching the first-years with interest. In the end, there was a smaller table facing them filled with presumably teachers and staff. Peter had to concentrate all his energy on walking to not turn around and run away. 

He glanced at the boys next to him. Sirius was looking straight forward and avoided eye contact with everyone. James had a confident look and walked with determined steps. Sure, if you are James Potter you have nothing to fear. Peter couldn’t help but remember what his mother had once said. _Anyone would be proud to have a son like him._ It hurt but it was true. It was hard not to admire James and his natural charm. Be as it may, it was not an easy job to grow up in the shadow of his best friend’s flame. Remus, on the other hand, kept his head down with a bit nauseous look on his face. This resonated more with what Peter was feeling himself.

Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, they reached the front of the hall. There was a stool placed there with a pointed wizard’s hat on top. Only now, Peter realised he had spent all his time worrying about the Sorting results but forgot to worry about _how_ the Sorting happened. McGonagall seemed to sense the panic, since she began to explain the procedure. Put the hat on and let it decide. Simple enough. Peter had a thought that this might be a very important turning point in his life. Even if he was not the lovable dream son or an heir to a wealthy family, at that moment Peter Pettigrew was set on playing an important role in life, thank you very much.

~*~

NADIA

“Rosier, Nadia”

Nadia held her head up as she walked to the stool and sat down facing the rest of the hall. She looked down at her fellow first-years and was pleased to notice many of them looked more nervous than Nadia herself was. This calmed her. She even managed to smile a bit to the Prewett twins who were winking at her before professor McGonagall placed the Sorting hat on her head. 

She wasn’t worried at all. The truth was, out of the four options, one was more than likely. If that was her faith, why to fight it, Nadia thought. And if one of the less probable options presented itself? It was a wild card but one with a complimentary ticket out of a fore-chosen destiny. Call it blind stubbornness but Nadia was determined she could handle whatever was thrown at her, just like she had handled so far.

“Well, that is a rather nonchalant way of thinking”, a lazy voice said inside Nadia’s head. She almost jumped. The girl didn’t really care for strange voices in her head. 

“Now that’s a bit rude, I am a perfectly pleasant guest”, the voice, the hat Nadia realised, scolded. “Let me see, let me see. Ooh, interesting. You really don’t seem to give two hoots about this. Well, if that’s the way you have chosen to play…”

“SLYTHERIN”

She opened her eyes. The table on the left wall was cheering. Nadia tried her best not to look at the twins at the right side table. Gideon was holding his heart dramatically, while Fabian leaned his head on his brother’s shoulder, pretending to cry. Slowly, she walked to the table with green and silver decorations. She sat down as the prefect girl with long platinum hair gave her an approving smile. 

The Sorting was almost finished. The next person to join the Slytherin table was a lean boy with long black hair. He seemed annoyed at everyone before he was even introduced as Severus Snape. Behind the boy’s shoulder, Nadia could see a red-head at the Gryffindor table staring desperately at Snape’s back. The girl met Nadia’s eye and immediately turned away. This was not the only interesting incident at the red and golden table. Curiosity won over her self-control and Nadia couldn’t help but look at the certain Black heir. Sirius Black was a Gryffindor. Nadia smiled as she watched the boy’s distraught expression. She had to admit, Sirius masked it well into a smug grin as if this was his plan all along. But his eyes told a different story. 

Next to him was the boy from the train. The duo had added two new members to their ranks, apparently. A round-faced boy who looked like sitting at the Gryffindor table was his personal high score in life. Opposite Sirius sat a boy who mirrored Black’s smug look. The boy seemed to like attention as he made a point to proudly shake hands with every single Gryffindor house member. Maybe Black had finally met his match in self-love. 

“Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts”, the headmaster smiled to mark the end of the Sorting ceremony. Using the word old to describe him would be disrespectful to the word itself. The man looked like he not only knew about the beginning of the time but was there to witness it himself. He had a long beard and a burgundy velvet cloak but the most distinct thing about him was his half-moon glasses. “There is no need to hex me yet”, he gave a look to the Gryffindor twins, “I will not keep you from the feast. Enjoy!”

The empty dishes were no longer empty. There was every sort of food one could imagine and then some. Everyone around Nadia started helping themselves. Her own eyes were fixed on the treacle tart in front of her. Pudding first? There was no one to say no. Nadia placed a slice of the tart on her plate. She worked up enough courage to take the first bite. The second one was a bit easier. By the third one, she could focus on her surroundings better. 

Severus Snape was providing a detailed report on all the Slytherins on his mother’s side of the family. 

“What about your father”, a girl named Prudentia Parkinson asked. Snape offered her a disgusted look before changing the subject. However, family seemed to be the recurring topic. It was either talk about whose father was heir to which family or whose mother worked what position at the Ministry. Blythe Zabini was the star of the evening. When the table found out his father was the head of the Department of Mysteries, even the older students came to introduce themselves to him. 

Nadia was not sure if she was more amused or disdained by all this. Her gut told her to keep her mouth shut. That tended to be the first rule of survival. Something told Nadia only the fittest would make it at this table.

~*~

PETER

Maybe this day was not so bad after all. He had made it in Gryffindor. Him, Gryffindor! With James and the rest of the boys! He still couldn’t believe it as they were headed up to their common room. They were following the Gryffindor prefects, Frank Longbottom and Alice Fortesque. The mention of the latter’s last name made sleepy Peter blurt out: “Fortesque, like the ice cream shop?”. This made everyone around him chuckle, Alice too. However, Peter did not get an answer to what had been a serious question.

After what felt like a hundred staircases the prefects stopped them in front of a painting of a lady in a pink silk dress. “Password?”, the woman yawned. 

“Animagus”, Frank said out loud. 

The painting swung open and revealed a hole in the wall. They went through it one by one. Peter found himself in a round, heavily red room filled with sofas, cushions and mahogany desks. The giant fireplace was lit. All of a sudden, Peter realised how tired he was. Frank led the boys up a spiral staircase to their dormitory. The four first-year Gryffindor boys were left alone there. It was this moment when the idea popped up in their heads quite simultaneously; for the first time in their lives, they were under no supervision or strict bedtime. 

Sirius gave them all a look with a brow raised. This was followed by a moment of total chaos of four boys running around, jumping on beds and fighting with pillows. In the end, Peter fell backwards on one of the beds and decided he might as well stay there. The rest of the boys were out of energy too. Laying on their beds they fell into a content silence.

“Why were you at the wrong platform by the way?” James asked out of nowhere.

It took Peter a second to realise he was the one being addressed. “Oh, it was stupid”, he was glad it was dark so no one could see him blushing.

“What platform?” Sirius asked, yawning.

“7 ⅝ “, Peter admitted awkwardly.

“What?” Remus chimed in, raising his head from the pillows to see Peter better. Peter couldn’t help but smile.

“Ah, it was the Prewetts”, he started.

“You met the Prewett twins?” James cut him off. “I heard they’ve got more detentions than anyone before at Hogwarts”

“Not for long if I can help it”, Sirius whispered half-asleep from the other side of the room.

“Anyway, I heard them telling someone the platform had changed so I decided to play it safe”, Peter continued turning to his side.

There was a moment of silence. “So, you just decided to abandon the rest of us at 9 ¾? Even me?” James said after a while.

“Huh, no. It sounds bad when you say it like that.”

“Bloody hell, Pettigrew. We better watch out or you might sell us all out”, Sirius laughed.

“Bugger off”, Peter said and used the last of his energy to throw a pillow in Sirius’ direction. The boy threw it back with force. Before they knew it the pillow fight was back on. 

“You know what, Peter? Don’t worry, we will get them back. When we’re done, they will know us as the best pranksters Hogwarts has ever seen”, James said in a voice that could convince anyone.

All four nodded to themselves in the dark. It was one of those moments you already know you are going to miss while they are happening.


	5. B is for Betrayal

NADIA

Two beautiful days in a row was a very bad omen to Nadia. This might be an unpopular opinion. However, Nadia knew better. Sunny days get your expectations high. Usually, this only sets you up for disappointment. At least cloudy and rainy days don't get your hopes up; you know from the start what you signed up for. Weather at Hogwarts seemed to be persistent in disagreeing with Nadia.

The perks of having a common room in the dungeons was the total isolation. The entrance behind a stone wall led to a dark room lit by torches and fireplaces. All the furniture looked like antiques and there was green and silver on every surface. Nadia learned that the room was located partially under the lake. There were windows that opened straight to the dark waters. This gave the room a green tinge that danced on the faces of Slytherins in the room. 

Even at the small hours of the night, the common room wasn’t empty. Insomnia seemed to be a common word in the house of Slytherin. Thankfully, no one bothered each other. The Slytherins were not keen to socialize without gain. The students preferred solitude. This suited Nadia who spent most of her first night sitting alone on a dark green, leather sofa near a window opening to the lake. There was something mesmerising about staring at the dark water. Every now and then, she could have sworn she saw a creature with a beautiful fishtail passing by. 

Nadia thought she might regret staying up the next morning. Turns out spending almost every night half-up back home finally paid off. She surprised herself by feeling oddly cheerful and buzzing with excitement the next day. The prefect girl from last night was already waiting at the Great Hall. Nadia realised it was Narcissa Black who no longer had dark hair Nadia remembered from their childhood. Narcissa handed her the lesson schedule the minute she arrived at the Great Hall for breakfast. She glanced at the parchment. The good news was they only had charms and potions today. The bad news was both of them were with Gryffindors. 

She sat down at the end of the table and poured herself a cup of tea. Someone sat next to her and began talking before Nadia could even look up. 

“Nadia! No sight of you yesterday at the dorms. Don’t tell me you were up to something on the first night?”, the Parkinson girl questioned her with a sly smile. 

“Had trouble sleeping, that’s all”, Nadia sipped her tea.

“Well, did you see the schedule? The whole day with Gryffindors, ugh!” Prudentia complained, resting her head on Nadia’s shoulder like they were already best friends. She was one of those people who sugarcoated their malice in friendliness so you never knew what their true intentions were. She was also one of those people Nadia wanted nothing to do with.

The morning owls granted her an excuse to move away. Persefone, who had disappeared the minute Nadia had let it out of her cage last night, was now flying back to her with a letter. The few next minutes were chaotic as everyone was trying to spot their own owl and prevent them from landing in any cereal bowls or coffee cups. Nadia managed to untie the letter before anyone could pay too close attention to her. Nadia knew she needed privacy for this. She knew where it was from. It’s not like she had that many possible pen pals. The dark green envelope opened to reveal a parchment with neat, calligraphic handwriting. 

_You did well. Good._

It felt like a terrible waste of parchment. The quiet rage she had harboured inside for years started boiling again. Had she known that putting on an old hat was what got you praises in the Rosier household, she could have stopped the rest of her pathetic attempts to please long ago. She had to remind herself she was far away from their reach now. If she let them ruin her day, that would be fully on her now. Nadia folded the parchment carefully and put it in her robe pocket for safekeeping. She wanted to keep it safe until she could toss it to fire and watch it burn. 

Nadia wasn’t the only person who received unpleasant mail that morning. At the Gryffindor table, a giant eagle-owl was heading towards the unsuspecting Black heir. Sirius was busy laughing at Peter who looked alarmingly pale after Nearly-Headless Nick had floated right through him to greet Frank Longbottom. His laugh was caught short as he saw the family owl land on the table in front of him. It was carrying a bright red envelope.

“SIRIUS ORION BLACK! I should not even call you a _Black_ anymore. The B in your name stands for betrayal! A total betrayal, do you hear me? How dare you associate yourself with _that_ house? You can forget about your inheritance. You are no longer our son” a voice cried. 

Nadia bit her lip to control her smile. All the stars must have aligned the day Sirius Black was born. How else, would he be stuck with such fitting initials as S.O.B. And Walburga Black seemed to still have her edge. Back when they were young, Mrs Black used to disown Sirius at least once a week.

The whole school was now staring at the unfortunate boy at the Gryffindor table. Sirius' jaw clenched slightly. On the other side of the hall, Nadia was fascinated to see what Black would do next. Anyone else might have stormed out blushing but Nadia doubted Sirius was the easily embarrassed kind. He proved her right. 

When his mother finally ended her fiery speech in a big explosion, a grin had already returned to Sirius’ face. He got up to his feet, climbed up to the table and bowed to his crowd. The Great Hall was now filled with applauds, cheering and a couple of whistles from the Prewetts. From her side of the hall, Nadia could tell that Slytherins were laughing, too. Although, the green and silver table was laughing more _at_ Sirius than with him. Betrayal of the family name might only be material for comedy at the other tables. Slytherin took loyalty seriously, no matter how misplaced it was.

There was less laughing involved in the Charms class. Professor Flitwick, a short man standing on a book pile, spent the entire lesson lecturing the importance of his class and how all the magical education culminated in Charms. It was only the last quarter of the lesson when the class was allowed to draw out their wands. They followed Professor Flitwick’s demonstration and traced the pattern of the levitation spell in the air. Flitwick promised the class they would get to try the spell next time. Nadia would have skipped lunch to try the spell by herself if allowed. She wasn’t the only one feeling the competitive need to succeed. There was an unspoken contest between Slytherins and Gryffindors to win more house points than the other. Being the first one to manage a spell would surely be worth a good amount of them. 

“Rosier, what do you say, 10 galleons I get _wingardium leviosa_ correct before you?” Sirius sat down on a chair next to Nadia.

“You shouldn’t throw your money around. Not the Black heir anymore, remember?” Nadia side-eyed him while packing her quills and books away. 

“No, I am _making_ money off you. Easily, may I add.”

“I don’t think so”, she started walking towards the door. Unfortunately, Sirius followed her like a dog.

“C’mon. Think about it this way; You win, you are 10 galleons richer. I win, you get the satisfaction of donating money to the Young, Handsome and Unfortunate Former Black Heir Fund”

“Enticing. Charity has always been close to my heart”. They were now walking in the corridor together. It seemed to be impossible to get rid of Sirius. “Black, what do you really want?”, she stopped.

Sirius almost bumped into her. He rubbed his neck while looking for the right words. “I need you to write to Regulus”.

“Ah, yes. Since your brother and I have always been in regular correspondence.” Nadia nodded trying to keep a neutral expression.

“Trust me, he is the same annoying idiot you knew as a toddler.”, Sirius laughed before changing to a whisper. “I wouldn’t ask if this wasn’t important. Mother doesn’t let him talk to me anymore. Says I will poison his young and impressionable mind or something. I only want to know he is okay”. Something in his eyes killed the annoyance in Nadia.

Nadia knew how it felt to be stuck between rock and family. She knew the desperation Sirius was feeling. How being under enormous pressure felt like when those applying the pressure were your loved ones. You either bend or you break. Despite putting on an act of tranquillity, Sirius Black was at a breaking point. “Fine”.

“Really?”, he looked surprised. “I had a whole speech prepared.”.

“As much as I would like to hear that I would prefer not to miss lunch”, they had now reached the entrance of the Great Hall. “Besides, I never had anything against Reg. It was always you who I couldn’t stand”, Nadia smiled over her shoulder heading to the Slytherin table. Sirius stood at the entrance with a grateful smile.

Unfortunately, the conversation was not over. Not to Sirius. In the afternoon they had Potions together. The class, located in dungeons, was cold and filled with echoes of whispering students, The walls were filled with miss-matched shelves. They were stocked with all kinds of jars full of mysterious liquids. As soon as Nadia stepped into the class, Sirius started tailing her again. 

“What are you going to write to him?”

“Well, I was thinking something along the lines: _Dear, Regulus. Your beloved pain in the arse brother would like to know if you are alright. Please, send back a note if you too think your brother is an annoying little prick who should mind his own business. Nadia._ ”

“You sign your letters without _love_?”, Sirius tilted his head.

“How do you sign your letters? S.O.B.?”

“Very clever. Just make sure you don’t mention me. Make it sound like it was your idea”. Cruel parents raised clever children. Being raised by tradition and honor teaches you to find the art of secrecy and loopholes. 

“Yes, because every other day I suddenly get an idea to write to people I have last met when I was six”, Nadia huffed but seeing the worry in Sirius’ face made her decide to end his misery. “Don’t worry, not mentioning you is the easy part”. 

Sirius had no chance to respond to this even though he very much looked like he had something to say. The door at the front, leading to the professor’s office, opened. A middle-aged, bald man with a resemblance to a slouchy, velvet armchair walked in. Even the Slytherins had not met the potions professor, yet, despite him being the head of their house. The man stared at the class as if he had only now noticed he was not alone.

“Oh, hello. I am professor Horace Slughorn. Today we will study the functions of a bezoar". Slughorn sat down behind his desk. “Anybody can tell me what a bezoar is?”

A red-headed Gryffindor girl raised her hand immediately. She offered a textbook answer which seemed to please Slughorn. Nadia recognised her from the Sorting ceremony, the one who had stared intensely at Severus Snape. Now she was sitting in the front row next to him. Who would have thought, Snape had a little Gryffindor friend.

“Excellent. Five points to Gryffindor!”

Someone in the back cheered. Nadia turned to see the curly-haired boy sitting next to Sirius. He ran his fingers through his hair with his eyes fixed at the redhead. 

Unfortunately, Slughorn did not appreciate distractions in his class. “I have a method proven quite successful so far. I reckon, most of you have kept socializing to only your housemates. I, however, believe it is important to work your nets in wider waters”.

This was followed by a roll call. When Slughorn read a student’s name from a scroll, silver initials floated over to the mentioned student. The process was disturbed several times by Slughorn stopping to ask about famous relatives of certain students. The boy in the back turned out to be, James Potter, the heir to the Sleakeazy fortune. Professor Slughorn was delighted to find this out. In the end, when the last initials were placed carefully in front of its owner, Slughorn flicked his wand. The initials started floating around and shuffled in the air, until they were placed again randomly. This was followed by a groan from both students dressed in green and red.

It took five more minutes for everyone to settle in their new seats. Nadia had to go all the way to the front. Her new potions partner was the redhead Gryffindor. She offered Nadia a sincere smile and introduced herself as Lily Evans sounding genuinely _pleased_ to meet Nadia. Well, that is new, she thought. Usually, people in her life were only polite if they had an agenda. The pair behind them were less harmonious. Snape was paired up with the Potter boy. Neither of them seemed satisfied. Nadia had to admire their determination; it was not an easy task to make enemies in just two days. 

“Evans, if you want to borrow a quill, I have these new ones from Scrivenshaft’s. They correct your spelling”, the Potter boy poked Nadia’s partner.

Snape looked disgusted. “She doesn’t need anything from you, Potter.”

“It’s okay, Sev. Potter, do you imply I am not capable of doing my own spelling check?”, Lily said before turning her attention towards Slughorn. 

Potter blushed slightly. Snape looked satisfied. It was an ugly look on his face. He happened to be the type of person whose only pleasure in life was other people’s misery. He seemed to dedicate his whole life to this. Severus Snape might seem harmless enough. The bitterness and hatred were usually no harm to anyone but himself. However, first impressions can betray us. Overlooked and underestimated, Snape’s type could be the most dangerous kind. Like a ticking timebomb, no one saw coming. 


	6. Dear, Tuney

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've made it this far, thanks. Please consider leaving a review and letting me know what you think!

LILY

September 1st, 1971

_ Dear Petunia, _

_ The Hogwarts Express is amazing! We bought all sorts of snacks and treats from the lovely trolley witch. I have now tried chocolate frogs (They actually jump around!), pumpkin pasties (So delicious!) and Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans (There really is  _ every _ flavour!). I got one that tastes like grass. Sev swears his bean was parchment flavoured.  _

_ PS. _

_ I am a Gryffindor now! It never occurred to me I could be brave but who am I to question the hat (The sorting was performed by a talking hat!). Sev was a bit disappointed, though. He hoped I would end up in Slytherin with him. I told him we could still be friends and this doesn’t change anything. But you know how moody he can be sometimes. Without Sev (or you) I feel a bit lonely.  _

_ The girls in my dormitory are nice enough. One of them is called Mary, she is a Muggleborn like me. It’s nice to have someone who is equally overwhelmed by everything. The other girl, Marlene, is half-blood. She’s been answering a lot of our questions. The two of them are already best of friends. It reminds me of you... _

_ Wish you were here! _

_ Love, Lily _

* * *

_ September 2nd, 1971 _

_ Dear Petunia, _

_ The classes started today. I almost got lost this morning on my way to breakfast. The castle is a maze with all the moving staircases, disappearing entrances and talking suits of armour.  _

_ Anyway, the lessons have been great so far. So much to learn! I think my favourite is Potions. I was paired up with this Slytherin girl. She is pretty nice for a Slytherin. Although, I wouldn’t say that to her face, she’s a bit intimidating. I am a bit jealous of her because she comes from a wizarding family and already knows a lot. I on the other hand have so much catching up to do. ( I think I am also jealous of her pretty olive skin since I realised today I am paler than our house ghost, Nearly Headless Nick.). _

_ Give my best to Mum and Dad! _

_ Love, Lily _

* * *

_ September 6th, 1971 _

_ Dear Petunia, _

_ Sorry I haven’t written for a couple of days. Today our afternoon classes were cancelled. Four boys from our class had a stupid idea to fill the classroom with duplicating slime. (The spell was quite impressive, to be honest. But don’t tell anyone I said that!) I actually scolded the four of them for being irresponsible marauders and costing us valuable learning time. They seemed to rather enjoy the name-calling, though.  _

_ I have so much homework to do. We have to write an essay about different types of antidotes. Tell me about your week? How’s Mum and Dad? _

_ Love, Lily _

* * *

_ September 19th, 1971 _

_ Dear Petunia, _

_ The Marauders struck again. (Yes, that’s what they’ve started calling themselves.) They magically glued all the silverware to the table at breakfast. No one could eat until Professor McGonagall performed the counterspell. I think this is getting out of hand. They’re just spoiled, entitled, snobby, rich kids! One of them is the most frustrating. He is an heir to some wizard hair product fortune. That doesn’t seem to help him get his own hair sorted, though. I have never seen anyone so self-obsessed and full of himself! _

_ I don’t get why everyone else seems to practically worship them. Even Mary and Marlene! I think the only one besides me who isn’t completely enchanted by the foursome is the Slytherin girl from Potions. Maybe she should be my new best friend? She might hex me if I suggest it to her, though.  _

_PS._

_ I haven’t received any letters from you. Do you have trouble using the owl? It is rather easy. Just tie the letter to the owl’s leg and it will know how to find me. Hope to hear from you soon! _

_ Love, Lily _

* * *

_ September 26th, 1971 _

_ Dear Petunia, _

_ I got letters from Mum but still nothing from you. Are you mad at me, Tuney? Can’t we put this whole thing behind us? You know I would love nothing more than having you here with me. Sev says I should give you some space. He says it is natural for siblings to grow apart. But I don’t want to grow apart from you. I don’t think Sev would understand, he is an only child, you see.  _

_ Speaking of Sev, I don’t know what to do with him. I thought he would get over his rudeness after a while but seems like it’s here to say. He said something rather nasty about Mary yesterday. I don’t like the people he is surrounding himself with. They are not very nice people. Remember that Douglas from second grade? It’s like having a gang of them! I don’t know how to bring this up, though. I don’t want to hurt his feelings with everything that’s going on at his home. You know how his parents are… _

_ Any advice? Miss you! _

_ Love, Lily _

* * *

_ October 13th, 1971 _

_ Dear Tuney, _

_ I wish you would respond to me. Please, I really miss you. _

_ Love, Lils _


	7. Crescent Moon

REMUS

There is some fascination that drives us to the one thing we fear the most. It’s like playing with fire. Or sticking a metal fork to a power outlet. Remus smiled to himself imagining the scenario where he would have to explain to the other Marauders what electricity was. The tree pureblood boys were clueless when it came to muggle phenomena. Funny enough, they were also oblivious to one certain magical phenomenon happening right under their noses. Remus’ lunar complication was tiptoeing around their shared dorm on its claws. No one seemed to suspect anything, yet. The first time was simple. No one doubts when you cry the wolf for the first time, so to speak. It was the second full moon he was afraid of. And many more coming after that. There were an awful lot of full moons in 7 years.

Remus sat on the windowsill in their dormitory and looked up to the sky. His relationship with the moon was complicated. Before his fifth birthday, he had never paid much attention to lunar movements. Everything changed after that one night. His whole life revolved around the moon now. All of his parents' hopes and plans for their only son went down the drain. They were substituted by hidden lives and constantly changing locations. Remus barely even remembered the life before the bite, He had lived most of his young life in isolation and fear. He glanced at the silver moon above. There were times when even a glimpse at the moon drove Remus to rage. Other times he found himself staring at with involuntary obsession.

In the beginning, only the full moon affected him. The older he was the more he realised how much his life was bound to the silver particle. The full moon was only the grand finale. The rest of the phases were ongoing indications of the looming crescendo. Physically, the closer the full moon was Remus would sense his body tense up and senses intensify until the ultimate night. Everything became amplified and he felt ready to burst after the slightest irritation. After the moon, every cell in his boy felt deprived of sleep, food and warmth. It was also an emotional ride from hell. Every month Remus went from easily enraged to blatantly impassive. It was the time of the crescent moon when he felt most himself. It was a relief to watch the moon waxing away. During this time Remus caught himself staring up at the sky the most. He wished he had the power to freeze all the celestial bodies in the sky. Yet, way too soon the moon would appear newly waning. Time and tide waited for no man - or wolf.

“Already up to no good?”, Sirius whispered. It took Remus a few seconds to see his figure in the dark. Sirius’ head was peeking through the velvet drapes around his bed. His hand was raised to block the rays of the rising sun.

Remus wasn’t used to sharing a bedroom with three other boys. As a matter of fact, he wasn’t used to sharing anything. He had never had anyone to share with. This was not only about shower shifts or dividing treats into four. For the first time, Remus had people to share his life with. People who wanted to be in his life. _Be his friends_. Remus had to really work on starting to perceive the boys as friends. not strangers.

“Can’t sleep”, he wasn’t lying but it felt like it. Carrying secrets is exhausting after all.

Sirius checked the clock on his bedside table. “It’s barely seven o’clock”, he buried his head back in the pillows.

“Well, we might as well go get some toast to survive Transfiguration”, James said from the other side of the room. His voice was already filled with energy and he was fully dressed. No one knew how Potter did it. He seemed to be immune to human weaknesses.

“Ugh, Transfiguration. I swear McGonagall spends the whole time side-eyeing me”, Sirius complained, still under covers.

“That might have something to do with you levitating notes to James the whole time.”

“Lupin, leave me out of it! I am a model student.”

“Ah, yes. Potter. You are Head Boy material. If I looked under your bed I definitely wouldn’t find any dungbombs.” Sirius teased, finally getting up to face the day.

“Oi, I am trying to sleep over here, would you mind”, Peter squeaked drowsily.

“C’mon, Petes. Breakfast time. Think about all the pancakes you are missing out on”, James jumped on poor Pettigrew’s bed.

After half an hour and a lot of persuasions, the four of them headed to the Great Hall. They found it mostly empty. A couple of seven-year Ravenclaws were curled up in blankets, pouring themselves big mugs of coffee. They were going through what appeared to be N.E.W.T. level books.

Our four boys sat down at the unoccupied Gryffindor table. Peter leaned on his hand heavy-eyed. Sirius was yawning while helping himself to some omelette. He placed his plate back on the table and reached for the fork next to it. However, it didn’t move. He tried lifting it again. Nothing. Peter rubbed his eyes. Sirius’ hand reached Peter’s cutlery now. Remus saw James’ wand flick under the table. The boy was trying his very best to contain his laughter. Now Peter’s fork refused to move. Remus grabbed his own knife. It worked. Fortunately, the span of James’ magic seemed to be short. Sirius watched in confusion as Remus started buttering his toast. James was practically red by this point having trouble controlling himself.

“Did you try saying _please_?” Remus smiled. This made James burst out with laughter. The fork Sirius was currently trying to lift hit his face with a force.

“You’re a proper tosser, Potter”, Sirius rolled his eyes.

“How did you do it?” Peter asked, eyes wide.

“Mum used to do it to stop me playing with knives back at home. Picked it up from her.”

Sirius made a face that in the future would mark the moments a life-changing masterplan formed in his mind. Black didn’t want to be the spell's only victim. “We could do it”, he said, eyes filled with excitement, “to everyone in the Great Hall!”

This made the rest of the boys perk up. They had got a taste of pulling jokes on others and learned they liked it. Last time it was on a smaller scale, though. This time they had a chance to get the whole school. Remus had been hesitant to involve himself in the troublemaking. After all, this was not why he was at Hogwarts. But wasn't part of the reason to make friends? Of course, Remus did not have any experience in that department so he was not entirely sure what friendship meant. That tends to happen when you spend most of your childhood as a hidden secret even if it is for your own protection. But bonding over shared laughs and supporting each other unconditionally was what being friends meant to Remus. Although he had nothing to compare it to, the marauders were pretty damn close to his idea of a friendship.

Their first mission had been greatly in Remus’ favour. He had persuaded them into changing the date of the prank to align with the full moon. Cancellation of morning lessons granted him time to catch up on his sleep after spending the night of his first Hogwarts full moon without any. 

Remus had feared that day since the headmaster had appeared at their doorstep promising magical education and a safe environment for the transformation. Remus didn't get his hopes up for the latter. After all, how would any normal wizard know a thing about what the transformation required? To Remus’ knowledge, which was provided by his father, wizards’ intentions laid closer to controlling werewolves than caring for them. So it would be an understatement to say Remus didn’t expect much. On the first full moon, he had escaped from the boys claiming a headache. He had checked in at the Hogwarts infirmary. A surprisingly pleasant witch had guided him out to the grounds towards a fearsome tree moving like its sole purpose was to keep everyone away.

Of course, Remus realised shortly after, it indeed was the tree's purpose. Madam Pomfrey made the tree freeze by firmly waving her wand once. The witch seemed to be a lot stronger than one would think at first. She led Remus into an entrance below the tree which led to an old and seemingly unused house. It was very modest but a lot better than a cage.

Madam Pomfrey explained to him how all the doors and windows were enchanted and not even as powerful a creature as a werewolf could break out. He was no harm there. Neither of them mentioned the obvious harm that would be done there. To Remus himself. He had realised people saw him as separate from the wolf. It was easier that way. It implicated that Remus was not the one locked away once a month. People only saw _what_ he was not who. That way it was acceptable to cage an 11-year old child alone for a night. Human minds work in mysterious ways to justify the fault in their moral code.

When she left, the Healer had a very similar look like the ones on Lyall and Hope Lupin when they left Remus alone in his darkest hours. Distant eyes and a resigned expression that was trying to forget the humanity of the person they left behind the door. Remus resented that look. He couldn’t face his parents when they had that look. He knew it was for his safety. He knew they were just protecting him. But he also knew this wasn’t what they had signed up for in a son. It was excruciating to watch the pain in his mother’s eyes or the silent disappointment in his father’s. He knew they didn’t blame him but Remus himself did. He felt like he let everyone down by being a constant source of worry. 

Hope Lupin dealt with her pain by overdosing Remus with affection. This was her way to even up the inevitable neglect when her son needed her the most. He was, of course, grateful but sometimes all he wished for was a bit of space. Lyall Lupin had put all his energy towards finding the solution for Remus’ problem ever since the attack. He blamed himself for some reason. It was equally suffocating to watch his father sacrifice all the time, money and energy to fix a problem that didn’t have a solution. Remus often had the urge to grab his father's shoulders and shake him to make him realise there was no cure. He just had to accept the fact that his son was a werewolf. Acceptance. That was all Remus wanted, craved for. But he knew he had no right to demand it. Especially since he had room for improvement himself.

The Shrieking Shack was in fact an improvement. Dumbledore was right. Remus thought that was something he ought to get used to. Now he was relieved that he was alone and no one was outside witnessing his transformation. It still wasn’t pleasant, though. Madam Pomfrey had offered him a soothing potion. Despite taking the drought, Remus didn’t feel very calm. The pain that had crept in his bones and muscles in the last few days reached its full force. Remus bit his lip and clenched his fists to fight back. There was no point in fighting since the wolf always won. He fell on his knees and felt like he was bursting out of his seams. The last thing he remembered was the warm tears on his cheeks before his conscious mind slipped away.

Afterwards, he lay on the floor and fought the urge to close his eyes. He didn’t dare to. Every inch of his body felt drained. He was afraid the remaining of his energy would follow it if he fell asleep. It could have been minutes or hours but eventually, the Healer witch returned. Remus noticed the distraught expression she tried to conceal. She cleaned the newest additions to Remus’ scars. After swallowing some Pepperup potion they were on their way back to the castle. Remus was ordered to go back to sleep. Of course, the marauders had other plans. The boys were already awake when Remus entered the dormitory. The boys were relieved to have the full squad at their disposal. Everyone disregarded the questions about Remus’ so-called headache that had demanded overnight stay at the infirmary. The plan was in the works. They would slip away without anyone noticing. Peter would bring all the self-duplicating slime he had hauled on his last visit to Zonko’s. The boys would distribute it to as many classrooms on today's schedule as possible. Afterwards, they would come back to the common room and work on their innocent and surprised faces.

James had one last ace up his sleeve. Just as the boys were ready to leave, he revealed his dearest secret. The invisibility cloak. Sirius didn’t believe him at first. But when James disappeared under the cloak, there was no more objection. Remus felt a bit dizzy. He already was having a hard time trying not to faint. Optical illusions didn’t exactly help. Somehow he managed to keep up with the boys. The logistics worked surprisingly well considering the plan was made by four 11-year-olds. 

After their mischief, the boys returned to the common room. Remus sat on the velvet couch and closed his eyes. He quietly enjoyed the excited voices of the rest of the boys. They were revising the incidents of Peter almost throwing slime right at Sirius and the Hogwarts caretaker almost catching them on their way back.

After a while, first-year students started returning to the common room and discussing the event that granted them a free period. Peter giggled until James had to nudge him severely. Many suspected Prewetts but why would they target only first-year classes? Could there be new troublemakers at Hogwarts? These questions were answered soon as Professor McGonagall walked into the common room looking positively furious. 

"Mr Pettigrew, I assume this belongs to you. I took the liberty of performing a scouring charm since it was soaking in the Zonko's special ingredient.", McGonagall held up a white piece of fabric.

Turns out, Peter had left his handkerchief in the Transfiguration classroom after wiping his hands. Behind McGonagall's shoulders, Sirius was losing himself. _Who carries a handkerchief, Pettigrew?_

The initials _P.P._ on the monogrammed handkerchief was the Achilles’ heel that ruined their plan. Peter turned as red as the cushion he was holding. He didn’t know whether to apologize to McGonagall or his friends. They weren’t too mad at Peter, anyways. Sirius and James were actually quite delighted about the attention this caused. The pair were oddly satisfied for getting credited for their fine work. Even the little lecture about _respecting others_ they received from Lily Evans didn’t seem to bother them. In fact, they adopted the name Lily had called them, _marauders_. The word tasted strangely alluring.

Mercifully, the rest of the boys took the blame with their poor friend. This resulted in a week of detentions for each. However, to Remus, the result had also been time to sleep without anyone asking questions because the classes were still very much cancelled. Solely this was enough for him to aid whatever their next project was.

Even if it involved getting up the next day before sunrise and sneaking out of the common room in James’ cloak. Practising the spell continuously the night before and performing it roughly a thousand times for every piece of cutlery one by one. Though all this resulted in yet another scolding from McGonagall and more detentions now separated from one another. All this was worth the crescent moon shaped smile the marauders had brought on Remus' face.


	8. Someone to Share Silence with

NADIA

In Nadia's defence, she had not expected to make friends with a Gryffindor. She definitely had not intended to do so. Somehow it still happened. First, they sat alone together at a shared table in the corner of the library. Both of them occupied with their own books and thoughts. Neither of them paid much attention to the other. Once or twice they joined in a mutual sigh caused by an especially frustrating homework assignment. Otherwise, things were quite eventless in their little corner. Located behind the heavy bookshelves, it was the perfect spot out of sight. The big window next to the table opened to a view of the Quidditch pit. The last rays of sunshine made the dust specks in the air dance around. 

Nadia sat alone at the table staring outside. Her History of Magic notes were in front of her begging for attention unreceived. The two rolls of parchment for professor Binns about the Goblin Rebellions was due tomorrow. She was yet to start the first inch. 

Someone slammed heavy books on the table. The Gryffindor boy offered her a shy smile before sitting down. His brown hair was messy and his nose slightly red indicating he had just come inside from the chilly autumn weather. He reached for his school bag. Soon he placed a napkin on the table. On top of the napkin were two cauldron cakes. Nadia smiled gratefully before reaching for her one. Their nonverbal fellowship had bloomed when it had segued into a study group where the unspoken rule was to always bring food. It had started one day, a week after they had started sitting together. Nadia was enjoying herself a Honeyduke’s liquorice wand while using her real one to practise the levitation spell. When she noticed the boy staring she had levitated another piece of sweet liquorice over to him. After blushing slightly he had cautiously taken a bite before pulling a comically disgusted face. Turns out liquorice did not suit his taste but the following day he brought the duo scones from the Great Hall. Nadia had skipped breakfast that morning to avoid the Parkinson girl, so the boy’s gift was heaven sent. Since then they had not only shared a comfortable silence but also an occasional treat surrounded by books, quills and endless assignments. 

They didn’t talk much but that suited Nadia. It was actually one of the reasons why she took a liking to his new companion. Remus Lupin enjoyed comfortable silence as much as she did. They were able to spend long nights together surrounded by nothing but their own thoughts. They had a mutual understanding. Nadia learned that the Gryffindor was very intelligent despite the modest shell. Once she had spent a good few hours trying to reach the requirements for her Defence Against Dark the Arts essay. Her parchment had been still half empty. Yet, she had nothing more to say about the distinct differences between various codes in the Beast Coding system. Noticing her frustration Remus had offered his own notes to help. That was a life-saver. He had copied every complicated figure Professor Ernsworth had drawn on the blackboard. His version managed to make sense while Ernsworth’s scribble had made Nadia almost give up on the whole subject. Keen to return the favour she had guided Remus with his astronomy chart. She didn’t like being in debt to anyone. Besides, astronomy came easy to her. There was something very comforting about decoding celestial figures. Like reading little letters written in the stars.

Mouth full of cauldron cake she now eyed Remus’ pile of parchment eagerly. Not too long after that the two of them exchanged their notes to compare. It amazed Nadia how Remus managed to break down a whole lesson's worth of theories into just a few sketches that made perfect sense. She usually tended to find herself getting frustrated as she attempted to write down every single detail the professor mentioned. Unfortunately, this elaborate note-taking only caused her a doomed race, between her quill hand and time, that she often lost.

“You’re thinking too much”, Remus said, still eyeing her lengthy parchment. 

Nadia huffed. It wasn’t the first time someone accused her of over-thinking. She sometimes even caught herself thinking about the excessive amount of thinking that occurred in her head. But she couldn’t help herself. She had this unexplainable need to scrutinize and control every detail. Sometimes when the big picture is out of your hands, the weight is in the details.

“Yet, my essay is noticeably under-written”, she scowled at the Gryffindor.

“Exactly, You spend way too much time thinking instead of writing”, he smiled shortly at her furrowed brows, “Have you noticed how even Mulciber manages to return assignments in time? “

“Had I known Mulciber was my academic rival, I would’ve spent more time observing his studying habits”, she raised an eyebrow thinking about the Slytherin boy who just yesterday had blown up his feather quill trying to Transfigurate it into a snake.

“The content of his scrawls are irrelevant”, he disregarded Nadia’s sarcasm with a hand,   
“Mulciber’s nonsense still wins over not returning anything at all in fear of not achieving perfection”.

That shut her up. This was the longest conversation they had ever had. Remus’ light brown eyes drilled into hers waiting for her to admit he was right. Nadia broke the eye contact first. Remus smiled victoriously. 

“I just think too many people, bright people, doubt themselves too much to act. That leaves the idiots like Mulciber to lead the show.”

A smile crept in Nadia’s face before she could stop it. How was this Gryffindor boy wiser than the rest of the 11-year-olds at Hogwarts combined? Her good mood burst too soon when he saw a black, curly head approach their table. Seemed like Remus was not wise enough to choose his friends right. 

Potter reached their table almost panting. He was puffing and his face was slightly blushing. He ran his fingers through his hair glancing at Nadia nervously. 

“Sirius. He’s in trouble”, he whispered to his friend.

This caught Nadia’s attention. It wasn’t really that ground-breaking. It probably was part of Sirius’ daily schedule to anger at least one person or get detention before lunchtime just to fight the boredom. But she had her own reasons to eavesdrop in a conversation about Black. She had a feeling that he was mad at her. Nadia had had to break the news to him that Regulus had not written her back yet. Because he hadn’t. Sirius didn’t seem to believe her. He probably thought she was recruited by his mother to some Slytherin Coalition brooding a masterplan to get back at the first Gryffindor in the family. She didn't know how to break it to him; she didn’t care about him enough to do that. Nadia could sense him avoiding her ever since. Part of her agreed that staying away suited both of them better. Part of her was irritated by his audacity to ignore her.

Despite having just lectured Nadia on the topic, Remus now looked like he was doing some heavy and unpleasant thinking. The boys shared concerned looks. She was just about to break the silence to ask what exactly was going on when shouts echoed from the hallway. James looked panicky and turned back to spurt out of the library. Both Remus and Nadia followed him, leaving their notes and books behind all messy. They passed the Hogwarts librarian, Madam Pince, who yelled after them furiously for disrupting her library.

Down the hallway, they found Potter again. They also found a group of at least a dozen first-years gathering. Watching more carefully, Nadia noticed it was actually two separate groups facing each other. One with mostly Gryffindors with occasional blue or yellow tied students in the mix. The other group was smaller but even more poised. The Slytherins were all sneering at the two people in the middle, separating the two groups. The raven-haired boy had his back to them but Nadia could picture his arrogant expression as he rolled his wand in his hand. The other boy looked at him with distaste. The Slytherin boy’s wired figure was tense, his knuckles white around his wand. He kept looking behind his shoulders at his housemates who encouraged him with cheers. Nadia saw them sharing gloating smiles but Severus Snape had already turned around thinking his friends had his back. 

“I haven’t got all day, you know. Unlike you, some of us have a social life, Snivellus”, Sirius sounded bored.

His comment was rewarded with a burst of nervous laughter from the Gryffindor side. Nadia suddenly realised she was on the wrong side of the hall. To her surprise, she also realised she had no particular desire to join her house across the hallway. 

“Sev?”, a red-hair pushed through the crowd, “SEV! What are you doing?”

“Go, away, Lily”, Snape didn’t even spare a look at her.

Sirius laughed, “Need your little girlfriend to save you, huh?”

Snape shook a strand of his dark hair out of his face and hissed, “She’s not my girlfriend.”

Evans, who was about to place herself in the middle, stopped. Her face was bright red as she froze not knowing what to do with her hands anymore 

Next to Nadia, Potter took out his wand pointing at Snape. Things started happening fast after that. Zabini and Avery who had only seconds ago made fun of Snape behind his back now raised their own wands against James. lThey suddenly looked like there was nothing they’d rather do than defend Snape. Maybe it was to shift the attention back to himself. Or maybe he just really got some twisted pleasure from creating as much chaos as possible. Whatever it was, before anyone could stop him, Sirius fired a Jelly-Legs Jinx hitting directly at Snape. As the Slytherin boy fell backwards, without missing a beat, Zabini threw blue sparks back at Sirius. But Potter interfered with a Disarming Charm. Zabini’s wand flew in a curve before hitting the floor somewhere behind the crowd. Everyone froze, no one dared to breathe as the tension thickened. There was a second where a single decision could have escalated the situation. 

But it was over before it started. Potter reached for Evans, who was still standing in the middle, but she moved away from his touch still staring at the boy laying at her feet. Remus grabbed Sirius by the shoulder and pulled him back. Nadia could now see his malicious smirk as his eyes met hers. Across the hall, the Slytherins grabbed Snape by arms. Avery still had his wand drawn out and he glanced up at Zabini like he was waiting for orders. Zabini’s stone-cold eyes were still fixed on Sirius but he reached to lower Avery’s wand hand. No more spells would be fired that day. One by one both sides started backing away. Still not breaking eye contact, too scared to turn their backs. Slytherins headed for the closest stairs that led to the dungeons. Nadia caught Prudentia Parkinson staring at her. She arched her brow glancing at the people around Nadia. Nadia tensed up. She knew it didn’t look good for her to remain in her spot but she couldn’t move her legs. Parkinson sneered. Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. Without a word she turned away and followed her friends to the stairs. 

“That should teach them”, Potter nodded at the direction Slytherins had disappeared.

“Teach them? What exactly is the lesson you are teaching, Potter?”, Evans suddenly cried out.

Yes, why exactly were they firing jinxes in the middle of a hallway right before curfew anyway? 

Potter looked embarrassed, hands back at the hair. 

“It was the bloody time”, Sirius hissed voice filled with anger, “The Slytherins were getting too cocky anyway.”

Nadia wished she had an Invisibility Cloak. Because she knew exactly what he meant. The whispers followed certain students in the hallways. The way Slytherins looked at anyone who admitted to coming from a non-wizarding family. The talk and the jokes in their common room she tended to just tune out. It was getting harder lately. She remembered when Mulciber had asked Snape at breakfast around a week ago if the Muggle girl was his girlfriend. All blood had disappeared from Snape’s face as he muttered no. That day he had snapped at some Gryffindor girl calling her a Mudblood. Later that day in the common room she noticed Snape sitting with Zabini’s gang who usually only paid attention to Snape in a form of sneers and mockery. 

“You just made a big mistake”, she heard her own voice say.

The hallway was almost empty. Only Sirius’ friends were left. Evans stood next to the wall looking stranded. All of them looked at her like they were only now realizing she was still there.

“Mistake? We just made sure Slytherins know not to mess with us again”, Sirius turned his fury at her now.

Nadia almost laughed. “You really think they yielded without a fight? Without a single jinx?”, she shook her head in disbelief of the Gryffindor idiocy, “They just aren’t stupid enough to get caught in the middle of a hallway. But then again, not all of us are as brave as you Gryffindors, right?”

She wasn’t sure why she told them this. It felt like committing treason to help translate the tactics of her house to other people. But she was raised by Slytherins. She knew how they played. How dangerous it was to underestimate them. It was odd Sirius even dreamed about getting an upper hand so easily.

“What do you think will happen?”, Potter asked cutting off Sirius who muttered something under his breath. 

Nadia shrugged. Warning them was one thing. Scheming with them was too much for even her pathetic excuse of house solidarity. 

“You guys do realise she is one of them, right?”, Sirius’ eyes were throwing daggers as he gestured in her direction like she had turned into a viper right in front of their eyes. “They probably sent her to manipulate us to leave Snivellus alone.”

“Stop calling him Snivellus!”, Evans seemed to have found her voice again to defend her so-called friend. Nadia wondered how that friendship worked. Snape constantly throwing their friendship for crumbs of Slytherin approval. Lily getting mad but constantly coming back to salvage it. At what point would she realise there was nothing to save? What exactly the holy-than-thou Lily Evans saw in the pathetic Slytherin boy, anyway?

“He’s different, you know”, Lily’s eyes drilled into hers after noticing her stare, “He’s not who people think he is.”

Nadia examined her teary eyes, realizing the red-head really believed in that. She nodded, not having the heart to burst her bubble. _He’s exactly who people think he is, Lily._ Evans looked teary as she turned to get away from the hallway. 

“Ah, sure. Snivellus is a sweetheart. And she’s on our side”, the grey eyes leered in her direction, “What else? Remus, want to defend your good friend Mulciber? Or James, talk to Avery lately?”

Sirius looked around to get a response for the show he was putting on but no one was around anymore. They must have followed Lily at some point. It was only the two of them standing in a deserted hallway.

“We both know those are not the Slytherins you are mad at”, her own voice sounded hollow.

“You know me so well, Rosier”, his voice dripped of sneer.

Nadia had a hard time picking the right words, any words. Usually, she would just leave, shut his voice out by now. She wasn’t often mad but now she felt a quiet rage boiling.

“It’s not my fault your mother is being difficult. So, don’t take that out on me”, she hissed. “It's not your fault, either”, she added after hesitation, “So, for the love of Merlin, stop trying to prove how much not Slytherin you are..”

“Right, I should take notes from you on being a Slytherin. From now on I’ll just silently ignore every messed up thing around me because who am I to care what happens to other people?”

It was a trap luring her to fuel the fight. She knew that but her rage had reached a dangerous level where rational thinking left her mind. 

“You keep masking your reckless dramatics as some noble crusade. Do you even realise how transparent it is? You act like you don’t care but it’s killing you how your family hates you.”

“I would rather my family hate me than keep up the perfect child act as you do”, he laughed, his voice hoarse, “Tell me, when was the last time your parents looked at you and saw more than a blank canvas.”

Nadia could hear her heartbeat in her ears. But Sirius kept going, “Have you pretended long enough to actually turn into one of them?”

She felt twitching pain. She closed her eyes. Nadia didn’t cry in public and wasn’t about to start now. Not for Sirius Black’s amusement. “You’re playing pretend just as much as I am. Sure, you will never be perfect Black. They’ll always see you as a Gryffindor. You will never be a perfect Gryffindor, either. Your little friends will always see you as a Black.”

She opened her eyes. Sirius’ smile twitched, his eyes flinched like she had struck him. 

“If you hate Slytherins so much, stay away from me, Black.”

“Not a problem, Rosier”, his voice was colder than the dark hallway around them.


End file.
